Electrically-heated smoothing-iron



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. MITCHELL. ELEGTRIGALLY HEATED SMOOTHING IRON.

No. 469,792. Patented Mar. 1,1892.

INVENTOR WW w WiTNESSES (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. MITCHELL.

ELEGTRIGALLY HEATED SMOOTHING IRON.

No. 469,792. Patented Mar. 1, 1892.

pill/VJ IE: :5: n I Chill/hill wljgoa WM WITNESSES UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

WVILLIS MITCHELL, OF MALDEN, ASSIGNOR TO THE BUTTERFIELD-MITCIIELLELECTRIC HEATING COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTRICALLY-HEATED SMOOTHING-IRON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 469,792, dated March 1,1892.

Application filed May 27, 1891.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIS MITCHELL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Malden, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inElectrically-I-Ieated Smoothing-Irons; and I do hereby declare thefollowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same.

This invention has for its object to improve tailors irons and othersmoothing devices which are heated by electricity. Heretofore a wireforming part of an electric circuit has frequently been employed forsuch purposes, the said wire being wound ona core in successive coilswhich are suitably insulated by interposed sheets or cylinders ofasbestus or by other means. By experiment I find that the best resultsare attained when the cores of the heating-coils or helices thus woundare integral with the metal body of the iron or other smoothing deviceor attached thereto at one pole. I therefore form the body or bottomplate of the tailors iron or other smoothing device with integralmagnetic studs on which the coils or helices of wire constituting theheating devices are wound, as above stated.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of anelectricallyheated tailors smoothing-iron embodying my invention, thehandle being partly broken away to show the passage of the insulatedwire. Fig. 2 represents a perspective view of the metallic body orbottom plate of the heater, showing the studs or posts raised thereon.Fig. 3 represents a similar view showing the heating devices and bridgesin position. Fig. 4: represents in vertical section one of the heatingdevices consisting of the coiled wire, the interposed layers ofasbestus, and the stud or post forming their metallic core; and Fig. 5represents a longitudinal vertical section of the tailors iron withoutthe heating devices.

In the said drawings, A designates the ordinary wooden grasping-piece ofthe handle of a tailors smoothing-iron, the metallic frame of saidhandle consisting of two counterpart supporting-bars B B, in the upperends of which the said grasping-piece is journalcd by greatest heat.

Serial No. 394,284. (No model.)

gudgeons b. To allow this j ournalin g the said bars curve outward andupward divergent-1y from near the middle. Below this they are verticaland parallel for a short distance, their 5 5 inner faces being shaped toform a guide-passage for insulating-cords c 0 containing the two ends ofthe wire C, which enter the hollow tailors iron through an opening inthe middle of its top plate D, side by side.

The lower ends of bars B B are provided with horizontalreversely-extending feet 12 which are fastened to the body of the ironby screws 0 or in any other convenient manner.

The iron is hollow, and consists of a solid metallic body or bottomplate E, and the aforesaid top plate with interposed side walls F ofasbestos. These walls greatly lessen the weight of the implement withoutimpairing its efficiency for ironing; but they are not absolutelynecessary, as the sides of the body E may be extended up to the said topplate; but when the asbestus walls F are used, as shown, these sides areextended up only a little way, forming a peripheral rim f, which afiordsa base for the said asbestus walls. The metallic body thus constructedis, in effect, a bottom plate with a thick raised rim, and a number ofposts or studs in the space which that rim incloses. These studs orposts are raised on the flat upper face of the said body or bottomplate, and are preferably cast therewith. Like said body, they are ofmagnetic metal. Two of these posts (marked G) are centrally screw-tappedon top to receive the screws 6 hereinbefore referred to, but have noother use. The other posts II are also screw-tapped to receive screws h,whereby bridges I are fastened to them. Eachone of these cores or postsH is surrounded by a cyo lindrical heating device consisting of a partof the wire 0, wound in successive concentric helices with interposedcylinders of asbcstus J, the wire being preferably naked and wound atsuch intervals as I have found to give the 5 The Wire is wound first 011the core upward, then downward on the first asbestus cylinder, thenupward on the next, and thus end for end until a sufficient'number ofcoils have been provided. The wire then passes to the next post or coreH, and this is wound in like manner, the winding continuing post afterpost until each core is properly equipped for heating. The bridges I,which may be of any suitable form or numher or even united in a singleplate, serve to keep the heating-coils and asbestus cylinders in place.

hen a current of electricityis sent through the wire, the cores H areheated as usual, and also magnetized, and as the magnetization extendsmore or less to the bodyE a certain amount of heat is generated in thelatter by electrical currents or molecular motions induced thereby inaddition to the heat generated by resistance of the wire and conductedby the metallic cores into the said body. Thus the electric current ismade to produce heat in at least two ways, and, as a result, thesmootlringiron is very efficient with but a comparatively slightexpenditure of generative power.

Although thisimprovementis shown herein as applied to tailors irons, itis equally applicable to ordinary flat-irons and other forms ofsmoothing devices.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. 'In anelectrically-heated smoothing device, a body of magnetic metalaflt'ording the heating and smoothing surface and provided with magneticstuds or cores, in combination with wire coiled about said studs andforming part of an electric circuit.

2. In an electrically-heated smoothing device, a magnetic metal bodyaffording the smoothing-surface and having studs integral therewith, incombination with metallic conductors surrounding the said studs,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A hollow smoothing-iron having studs G and H raised from its bottom,in combination with a handle which is fastened by screws to studs G, andelectric-heating devices surrounding studs H, substantially as setforth.

4. A hollow smoothing-iron consisting of a top plate, a bottom plate orbody, and side walls entirely of asbestus, and provided with a handleand internal electric heating device, a plate or body provided withstuds or posts, in combination with electric conducting materialsurrounding the said posts as cores, and bridges fastened to the saidposts for holding the said conducting material in its place,substantially as set forth.

7. In an electrically-heated smoothing device, a magnetic plate havingstuds formed thereon to serve as cores for wire wound in coils orhelices, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affi'x my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIS MITCHELL. Witnesses:

W. PIERCE, W. P. JOHNSON.

